Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, a building in Hualien district, had caved in and people were believed to be trapped inside. The agency posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts.

Several buildings in Hualien were tilting or caved in, according to the Central News Agency.

The agency quoted a spokesman of Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, the governing cabinet’s office, as saying that search teams from other areas were headed to Hualien.

The preliminary information suggests the quake was about 9.5 kilometres (6 miles) deep.